When you’re planting a garden, you generally don’t fling seeds around and hope they grow up. You have a plan and work that plan through its various stages, thinning the rows, providing proper care and protection, and looking forward with expectation to the end result.

As part of an educational adventure I’m on this summer, I was required to brainstorm my end-goal of what I (and Michael) want our kids to look or be like when they leave our home. This list is fluid, knowing that my desires and goals may change for our children as we pass through various stages of life.

I was required to write goals for my children’s minds, bodies, and spirits (relationship with God and fellow men.) Spiritual goals and mind goals were much easier for me to list than goals related to my children’s bodies, so it was a good exercise.

Goals for My Child’s Mind

I want my children to be skilled in mathematics and grammar.

I want my children to be fluent in two (or more) languages.

I want my children to have a love for literature and poetry as well as a firm grasp on what quality literature is.

I want my children to be able to argue and defend arguments logically and calmly.

I want my children to have an understanding of global current events as well as historical perspective behind them.

I want my children to reason independently.

I want my children to be able to speak and write fluidly, cohesively, and articulately.

I want my children to have fervent imaginations and to have creative outlets for their imaginations.

I want my children to be comfortable speaking in public and to have social grace and poise.

I want my children to be polite and well-mannered to both those in rank high above them and to those who are on the margins of society.

I want my children to understand financial responsibility.

I want my children to yearn to continue to learn after I have finished instructing them.

I want my children to know how to teach themselves through experience and self-prompted research.

Goals for My Child’s Body

I want my children to be physically strong and confident in their physical abilities.

I want my children to have a healthy and balanced view of nutrition.

I want my children to be in control of what they eat rather than being controlled by it.

I want my children to be energetic and hardy.

I want my children to appreciate sweat and hard effort.

I want my children to have a working knowledge of their physical beings, a basic knowledge of naturopathy, and a compassion for the sick.

I want my children to love long walks in nature.

I want my children to be able to tolerate mild discomfort for appropriate lengths of time without complaint.

I want my children to be skilled with their hands in several different capacities.

I want my children to have appropriate posture and awareness of their bodies in their setting.

Goals for My Child’s Spirit (relationship with God and other people)

I want my children to be competent and familiar with how to comfort sick, grieving, or distressed people of all ages.

I want my children to love God with their hearts, souls, and minds.

I want my children to have discernment to know what is right and wrong.

I want my children to be faithful to God and to His principles.

I want my children to be people of integrity and diligence.

I want my children to possess merciful hearts, and a passion for justice.

I want my children to graciously encourage individuals they come in contact with.

I want my children to be even-tempered and not easily swayed from their convictions.

I want my children to be servants, humbly and unobtrusively filling in where needed.

I want my children to learn hospitality and the art of making our home a place of refuge.

I want my children to be familiar with their creator and to glory in His creation.

I want my children to hold loosely to things of this world and to revel in the story and plans that God has for their lives.

I want my children to be brave.

I want my children to have tender hearts.

This list could probably be expounded on. If you were to write a list like this, what would you make absolutely certain was on there?